Improvement in peat-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OETIGEo LEADER XV. BOYNTON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEAT-MACHINES.

Specification forming fait of Letters Patent No. 146,746, dated January 27, 1874 g application tiled J aly 2, 1873.

y To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, LEANnEn W. BorN'roN, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drying Peat; and I do hereby decla-re the following to be a. full, clear, a-nd exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- .Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section `of my machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same. 4

The principal difficulty heretofore experienced in converting peat into a useful fuel has been the impossibility of drying it with sufficient rapidity by the usual methods.

The desideratum is a method of artificially removing a large percentage of the water contained in the native peat with rapidity, so that itr may be quickly reduced to a condition suitable for pressing. This may be accomplished by centrifugal force 5 and my invention, therefore, consists principally in a centrifugal machine adaptcd to operate upon wet peat; secondly, it further consists in the admission and employment of het air in connection with said machine; thirdly, in providing the feed screw or wings with elastic wipers upon their outer edges; fourthly, in the manner of constructing the frame of the centrifugal basket; fifth] y, in the arral'igement of receivin and 'discharging devices,

'.lhat others may fully understand my inveni tion, I will particularly'describe it.

A is the frame which supports the operative mechanism of my machine. I3 is the drivingsliaft of the same, receiving motion by a belt upon the pulley U, or by any other proper and convenient means. The frame A has bearings l) l) for the shaft d of the centrifugal cylinder E. The cylinder E is constructed of a framework consisting of rings ff, connected by longitudinal bars g g, firmly secured to said rin gs; and for the purpose of further strengthening said frame, I place the truss-rods h across or near the backs of said rings, and secure their ends to the terminal rings by means of screwnuts. The bars g are laid in notches cut in inner edges of the rings f, and are so adjusted therein that the surface of each of said bars is iiush with the surface of the inner edge of said ring, and said bars are permanently Secured in place by means of solder. The rods .Y

g are placed within about one ineh of each other, and a lining of small-meshed wire-cloth is laid upon the inner surface of said rings and bars, and firmly soldered thereto. This cylinder is connected at its ends to its shaft by radial arms. der E is another cylinder, I, mounted upon the same bearings, but having an independent motion, slightly exceeding in rapidity the motion of the cylinder E. These motions are produced by the wheels and pinions Jj K k. The wheels J K may be equal, and are bothdrivenbythe main driving-shaft B. The4 pinions j k are unequal in the number of their teeth, and are mounted, respectively, upon the bea-rings of cylinders Eand I. Upon the outer surface of the cylinder I the standards L are motmted in lines passing spiral! y around said cylinder. These standards extend outward from the cylinder I, nearly to the inner surface of cylinder E, and they are faced with some flexible material, such as leather, as shown at M, and this facing extends to and wipes the inner surface of the cylinder E. The cylinder E is inclosed in astationary casing, N, and the peat is fed through the hopper O, and descends to the induction end of the said cylinder, where it is caught and swept inwardly by small oblique wings I, attached Vto the radial arms at that end. The peat as it enters the cylinder E immediately partakes of its rapid rotary motion, and a large percentage of the water with which it is saturated is quickly expelled by centrifugal force through the interstiees of the wire covering of cylinder E. The cylinder I moves at a speed slightly greater than the speed of the cylinder E, and the spiral wipers M, therefore, travel over the inner surface of said cylinder E, and gradually feed the peat toward the discharge end, and so expel it into the chamber formed by the annular flange f; whence it is discharged into the chute Q by means of the stationary scraper It. The chute Q delivers the peat upon an endless apron, S, whereby itis conveyed to the pressing-machine.

The axis of I is hollow, and I is provided with lateral perforations e, so that hot air may be introduced to assist in heating and drying the peat. The expelled water passes down to the Through the `center of the cylinbottom of the case N; from whence it is eolr' ducted, by a suitable spout or trough, to a tank or tanks, for the purpose of settling, so that the small portion of the peat which may escape through the Wire lining of cylinder E may be saved.

It will'be readily understood that the centrifugal pressure upon the frame of the cylinder E and its Wire lining will be very considerable; and in machines of large size it is conteni plated that it may be necessary to reenforce said Wire by a coarser netting of Wire, placed under and secured to the frame in the saine manner and at the same points with the inner wire. It is necessary to protect the Wire at the point of first impact of the entering peat, be-

Vfore the same has acquired its full rotation and Y .a lining, T, of sheet meta-l is, therefore, placed Within the induction end of the cylinder E, and

extends about six inches within said cylinder.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The centrifugal cylinder E, mounted upon a horizontal shaft, and combined with diiferent-ial spiral Wipers, to constitutea continuous horizontal centrifugal peat-drier, substantially as set forth. t

2. The frame of the centrifugal cylinder, eoii= structed with rings j', bars g, truss-rods h, and a wire lining soldered to the rings and rods, as set forth.

3. The spiral standards L, provided with flexible facin gs M, to form Wipers to cleanse the inner surface of cylinder E, and feed the peat through the said cylinder, as set forth.

4. In combination With the cylinder E and hopper O, the oblique radial Wings I), for the purpose described.

5. In combination With the cylinder E and annular angef, the chute Q and stationary scrapers It, as set forth.

6. In combination with the centrifugal cylinder E, the hollow shaft d and perforated cyl" inder I, for the'purpose of introducing hot air to the interior of said cylinder.

7. In combination with the cylinder E and its Woven-Wire lining, the lining-sheet T, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I elaini the above as in y invention, witness my hand.

LEANDER Wr. BOYNTON.

NVitnesses:

JOHN YV. BoYN'roN, GEORGE KNoWLns. 

